Myint Swe, who has served as Myanmar’s military-backed president, has died aged 74 after a long medical leave, according to state media.
The news of his death was announced on Thursday in a statement from the government.
“President U Myint Swe passed away at 8:28am this morning,” the statement said, adding that Myint Swe will receive a state funeral.
A former general, Myint Swe became president of Myanmar in 2021 when the military overthrew the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi.
Before the military takeover, he held several senior leadership posts, including the post of first vice president during a period of semi-democratic rule that ended in 2021.
The coup handed power to Min Aung Hlaing, the commander-in-chief of Myanmar’s military, with Myint Swe serving as a figurehead leader carrying out ceremonial duties.
Min Aung Hlaing stepped in as “acting president” of Myanmar last year when Myint Swe went on medical leave due to the effects of Parkinson’s disease, according to reports.
At the time of his death, Myint Swe was struggling with “weight loss, loss of appetite, fever and a decline in cognitive function” and had been admitted to a military hospital in the capital, Naypyidaw, according to state media.
His death comes just a week after military leader Min Aung Hlaing lifted a state of emergency in the country amid a grinding civil war and called for elections to be held in December.
While the military also nominally transferred authority to a civilian-led interim government in advance of the vote, observers say the change was on paper only, and Min Aung Hlaing has retained ultimate power as head of the armed forces.
Efforts to hold elections are seen as an attempt by the military government to gain legitimacy and de-escalate years of violent political turmoil that have engulfed the country since it grabbed power.
Opposition groups have pledged to boycott the poll.
Myanmar has been in a state of civil war since 2021, when pro-democracy protests escalated into a violent uprising, later compounded by the entry of armed ethnic groups.
The military-backed government has since lost control of large sections of the country.
Estimates in 2024 suggested that it controlled only one-fifth of the country, although the military-held areas include major urban areas.
